We'll Be Alright
by Morgana's Cat
Summary: AU- Mary met Matthew in London before the events of the series and they fell in love. Mary must save Downton however, and they part tearfully. But fate pulls them back together in an unexpected way. Can they keep their previous affair from their families as they try to get together again?
1. Chapter 1: Heartbreak

Disclaimer: I do not presume to own Downton Abbey by writing this fanfic.

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><p><strong>Full Summary:<strong>

AU- I asked myself: what if Matthew and Mary had met before the events of the series, while he was still a London (not canon, but it fits the story better) lawyer and she couldn't marry him because of Downton, but they still fell in love while hiding it from their families. When Matthew inherits, they are both overjoyed, but he still holds lasting anger towards her family who kept him away from his one true love. They are still in love but have to pretend to slowly fall for each other as they don't want their families to find out about their previous affair.

This will follow most of Season 1.

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><p>Mary hurried through the London streets, hat tipped low, concealing her face. She slipped through the crowd of people around her and rushed up the steps to a law office, glancing about to check if she was followed. Seeing no one, she disappeared through the door, closing it softly behind her. Tearing off her coat and hat, she went deeper into the building, past the main office and into a parlor where she knocked gently on the door.<p>

"Come in." a man's voice came distractedly though the door and Mary smiled softly before entering.

"Hello darling." She shut the door tightly behind her, sliding the lock for good measure, and rushed towards the man sitting on a sofa with law books in a pile before him.

"Mary!" he exclaimed, papers tumbling to the floor. He reached out for her, and she allowed him to pull her down beside him on the sofa and to plant a small kiss on the corner her lips. An arm wrapped around her waist and the pair smiled into each other's eyes. "I missed you." He stroked her face with a fingertip.

"I missed you too, Matthew, which is why I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news." Her gaze dropped and she twisted her hands in her lap.

"Oh dearest, what is it?" Matthew pulled back to observe her face.

"I don't know how to say it nicely, so I suppose I'd better just spit it out." A tear dripped down her face, which she ignored. "I'm going to marry Patrick. I have to, for Papa."

"What!" Matthew leapt up from the sofa, running a hand agitatedly through his hair. "I was so sure we could work something out, if you'd only let me talk to them…" he trailed off pleadingly, eyes tugging at hers.

"I've tried, believe me. I didn't tell them about us, that would be a terrible mistake, but I have dropped hints. And it's all been determined and there's nothing I can do!" she explained desperately. "I'm not destined to be _happy, _my duty is to _Downton _and nothing I ever do will keep that from being true, no matter how much I love you, how much I long for my own happiness." She wrapped her arms around herself, missing his touch.

Matthew paced back and forth. "But we're related distantly, aren't we? Perhaps that could give me something to work with-"

Mary interrupted him. "No, no it would never work! Papa's already worked the whole thing out and there's no stopping it. James is the heir, and Patrick is _his_ heir, and for us to keep Mama's money in the family I _must _marry him. I have no choice in the matter." She groaned into her hands. "Don't you think I've considered it from every angle? In the first place, they'd never approve of you, no matter how much I love you, and in the second, Downton comes before anyone's personal happiness. Please, Matthew."

"Alright." He dragged his hands across his face and collapsed back into the sofa beside her. "But I will forever resent them for it."

"Me too, darling, but I'll have to be better at hiding it." Mary smiled wryly. "At least they promised not to make the engagement public until May, so I have a bit of time to become accustomed to this feeling of dread."

"But it's March now! Do we really have so little time before our fate, before I lose you forever?" he said frantically.

"Less, actually. We're leaving London next week." Mary grimaced. "And I only have another hour before I'm missed."

"Can't I see you before then?"

"Aunt Rosamund has the rest of the week mapped out. This is it. We'll be in the same city and unable to see each other. Why must everything feel so impossible?"

"Darling, it's impossible for me to be in the same universe with you and not want to be with you. We'll make the most of the time we have left." He drew her closer, and they wept together for a love shattered in its youth, comforting each other in the knowledge that their love was forever, no matter what heartbreak approached. They kissed over and over again, tasting the salt of tears on their lips, wishing with every fiber for just the possibility of a miracle.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>To all those following my other story, (Mary x Tom), I'm sorry, but the plot bunnies attacked me. I'll try to write both at the same time, and you'll have an update later today. *heart*


	2. Chapter 2: The Titanic

**AN: **_Italics _is a thought. There will be a second update this afternoon.

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><p>Mary opened her eyes to a cheerful April morning that directly contradicted her mood. She would have to become formally engaged to Patrick in a month, and every day the engagement approached was a day that took her further away from the last time she laid eyes on Matthew. At least Patrick was away for now, traveling somewhere, so she could try to piece together a decent mask for his return. Sighing, she rang the bell for Anna.<p>

Anna came hurrying through the door a few moments later. "My lady, I was hoping you would get up soon. I have some news." She said, laying out Mary's dress.

"What news?" said Mary, still lost in thought. _How am I going to survive this?_

"The Titanic has sunk—almost all those people, dead!" she exclaimed, violently stabbing a pin in Mary's hair.

"How horrible!" Mary gasped. _And here I was only thinking of my own problems. Matthew would not have been so selfish. _"I knew several people on board…"

"They say most of the ladies got off." Anna commented.

"That's a slight relief. I must ask Papa for more information." Mary rushed downstairs to breakfast, stopping before the door to compose herself before entering.

"Good morning Papa." She walked up behind him to see the newspaper. "Isn't it awful?"

"Did Anna tell you, then?" Robert said, his eyes glued to the page.

"Yes, she did." Edith came in, taking Robert's other shoulder. "I thought she dreamt it."

"She told me most of the ladies had gotten off." Mary said.

"The ladies in first class, anyway." Robert closed his newspaper and took a steadying sip of tea.

"I knew a few people on board. Do they have a list of survivors?" Mary asked, thankful Matthew had thought the idea of an unsinkable ship preposterous. _He would never consider getting on board, praise God. _

"Not yet. Ah, Sybil, what's that?" Robert spotted Sybil coming in with a telegram.

"I don't know Papa. It's for you." Sybil handed the paper to him, watching as he crinkled it open. Mary studied his face, which grew pale as he finished reading.

"What is it, Papa?" his eyes met hers for a panicked second, and then he rushed out of the room.

Mary sat down, apprehensive. "What on earth could that have been?" she watched her father's retreating figure. _And why did he look at me like that?_ She was in for a restless morning. Robert had taken the telegram with him; she would be stuck in ignorance until he informed her of its contents.


	3. Chapter 3: Hope Through a Tragedy

Later that same afternoon, Robert summoned Mary to the library.

"My dear Mary." He said stiffly. "You may want to sit down."

_What possible news could be so traumatic? _She complied with his request. _It's best not to argue when he's so upset. Poor Papa. _

"It seems that our cousins James and Patrick were on the Titanic." He said in monotone, doing his best to hide his grief.

"You mean they're _dead_?" she cried in shock. _Dead!_

"In all likelihood, yes." Robert grimaced.

"But…" Mary's head rubbed her forehead. "I can't believe it. Patrick never told me he was going."

"He didn't tell you a lot of things, my dear."

Mary exhaled irritably. "I can't say I'm not sorry he's dead. I will miss his fondly. But I did not love Patrick, you know. I will mourn him as a cousin, not a fiancée, since our engagement has not been announced yet. Please agree, Papa."

"I know you did not love him." Robert's lips pinched. "It's up to you."

"Thank you Papa." Mary sat back, somewhat relieved. "But who inherits now? I was only going to marry him for Downton, that's why I listened to your wishes on the subject."

"Downton is the only reason I forced you on the subject." Robert sighed. "It had to be done."

"I understand that, my darling Papa." Mary said, somewhat strained. "But Papa, you _must_ find out who inherits next! We cannot waste any time." _If only it could be Matthew, but I know it's not. I auctioned myself once to Patrick, I can do it again for my poor father. Matthew wouldn't want me to be selfish, no matter how much he resents my reliance on Downton._

"I know who inherits next," Robert frowned. "From when you forced me to dig up all those files."

Mary's eyes widened. _That was when I was doing all that research to see how closely related Matthew was, in the hope he could bypass Patrick! But… _"You told me you couldn't find anything, that there was no way out of me marrying him!" she said furiously.

Robert ran a hand across his face. "I didn't tell you because Patrick was the better choice. You won't like it, I'm warning you." _It really wasn't so bad, but just the thought on his daughter's face of having to marry someone middle class... _he shuddered.

"Tell me." She said impatiently.

"His name is Matthew Crawley."

"What?" she said, voice dangerously low, all the blood draining from her face. "Matthew Crawley." _Could it really be him? There may be a thousand Matthew Crawleys. _She choked down the hope rising in her heart.

Robert's eyes closed, not wanting to see the face of his class-focused daughter at the next sentence. "He is lawyer, the son of a doctor. The idea was too ludicrous to consider before, but now I suppose we'll have to do more than consider it. I know it pains you my dear," he paused, hearing a fluttering as Mary fled the room in tears. _She must be in shock, my poor child._ He shook his head in sorrow.


	4. Chapter 4: A Plan Forms

**AN: **I'm so sorry about the long wait, but I became very ill just after publishing the last chapter. I'm still not better, but I wrote this between bouts of coughing etc. It's only a tidbit, but more is coming and I hope you understand. Thank you for all your reviews!

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><p>Mary lay on her bed, crying. After all her work, all her suffering, all her sacrifices—how horribly, terribly ironic it all was. After <em>everything<em> she survived she was forced to leave Matthew soon after discovering the love they shared; and once she had become resolved to her fate a bright spark of hope alighted in her life, determined to destroy her even more.

But this wasn't just hope, was it? Mary sat up, a thought dawning. The heir was certainly Matthew. She could have no doubts of that, not after the words of her father. Reflecting back to their conversation, she scowled at Robert's comments on the middle class lawyer, too low to "even consider".

A scheming smile tugged vindictively at her lips. Well now Papa would certainly have to do more than "consider" Matthew—he would be forced to take him on as his sole heir—and if Mary had her way (and she certainly would), as a son-in-law. It would be the ultimate revenge on her family's disapproval of a man they didn't even know.

"They will have to accept you now, Matthew." She hissed under her breath. "Now _they_ are the ones without a choice." Her thoughts traveled back to her heartbreaking last afternoon with her lover, reliving all the pain they went through in keeping their love a secret. Now they could flaunt it before the entire family… No. Her eyes widened in horror. They _couldn't _tell, could they? If an inkling of their love affair came to light, they would be forced to separate, and neither would be trusted again. She knew how the judgmental aristocracy worked. It was scandalous enough to have a middle-class heir, but to have an affair with such a man? She pressed trembling fingers to her lips. The fallout would be truly terrible. They would have to find another way… But wait! Didn't she just suggest it to Papa herself?

She would be expected to marry Matthew anyway. A suggestion here, a hint there, that she was only enticing him because of his inheritance, because of her duty to Downton—why, she would then become a self-sacrificing princess in their eyes. A subtle flair of seduction, and with Matthew in on her plan… why, they could be married before the year was out, and their courtship would seem completely innocent! And if she seemed to slowly warm to his many charms, she could surely coerce her family into doing the same! A great wave of relief washed over her. _We will be together after all, my dearest, darling Matthew._

Now how was she to begin?

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><p><strong>AN:<br>**And so we see the beginnings of her plan. Where will this lead, and what will this new information reveal?


	5. Chapter 5: Laying the Foundation

Mary decided it would be best to wait until after the memorial service to drop some hints to her father so she wouldn't seem too eager. Writing to Matthew herself would tip her hand, so she would have to have her father give her a reason to do so. The machinations of all of it would make her head spin if she wasn't so determined.

On the walk back from the memorial service Mary observed her father in deep conversation with his lawyer, but hung back with her sisters, her ears perked to hear anything of value. She caught a few strains of her mother's money being tied to the estate, but the lack of any mention of Matthew caused her to grow bored, and she turned back to Edith, who was sniffling. A snide remark hung on the edge of her tongue, but she choked it down. _What would Matthew say, if he were here? _

"It's all terribly sad, but I never thought you to care for Patrick in particular, Edith. If you loved him, I'm sorry." She said in the gentlest tone she could muster, which while soft, wasn't particularly comforting.

"You were the one _engaged _to him!" Edith spat through her tears.

"Of course she loved him, couldn't you tell?" chided Sybil.

"Then I'm sorry for stealing him from you. Here, have my handkerchief." Mary sighed. _This "kindness" business isn't really my forte. _

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><p>After the mourning party, Mary slipped into the library where her father sat, alone at his desk.<p>

"Hello Papa." She said quietly.

"Ah, Mary! I didn't see you there!" Robert waved her down to the sofa. "What is it, my child?"

"I was wondering what Murray had to say to you today, when he left in such a hurry." _Best to slip casually into the subject._

Robert's face fell slightly. "Are you quite certain you want to know?" He glanced at her and sighed. "Of course you do. Only that there is no way to separate your mother's money from the estate and to keep it in the family it would be best for you to marry this… Mr. Crawley." He frowned.

Mary made a show of looking like a distressed but willing martyr. "If that's the only way, Papa, I suppose I simply must do my best." She saw a flicker of something in his eyes but could not make out what it was. "Why don't we invite this cousin here? I could write to him myself. That would establish some foundational contact."

"I suppose that's a good idea." Robert got up to pour himself a drink. "Be charming, as I know you can be. I know it's hard to stoop to writing to someone middle class," (Mary barely contained a snarl) "But really, it's for the best. How about next month? That would be quite suitable." Robert quickly made some calculations in his head. "I could invite some other potential suitors in the meantime, in case anyone of better breeding took your fancy."

An icy feeling washed over Mary. "No!" she coughed "No, Papa dearest, that's quite alright. You know I only care for Downton, truly." She held her breath, hoping he would accept her words at face value.

It seems he did. "All the same, the Duke of Crowborough has asked to visit, and I think I shall let him. I'm not expecting anything of you towards him except politeness, at least not until we meet this heir."

_That's a relief, at least. _"Thank you Papa. I think I'll go dress for dinner now."

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><p>Mary groaned inwardly as Edith and Sybil came into her room as Anna was putting the finishing touches on her hair. <em>Can I really not have five minutes to myself? <em>She cleared her throat.

"You two should be grateful; I convinced Papa to let us go back to colors next month!" she smiled cheerfully, poking at her black beads.

"Don't you think that's too soon?" Edith said, her lips pinched.

"The Duke is coming to visit in a fortnight; so no, I don't think it's too soon." Mary said primly, dropping the information casually, knowing that her sister would almost certainly snatch it up.

And she did. "Hunting for a new fiancé so soon after losing the old one, are you? Really, Mary."

"Not for me, Edith dear. For _you._" Mary's voice was sickly sweet.

"For _me? _You must be joking." Edith let out a disbelieving laugh.

"But of course. He's quite handsome, but as you said, I did _just _lose a _dear, dear _man." Mary pouted dramatically. "Now let's head on down." _Perfect. If I pin all these jokers off on Edith, she'll be too busy to notice my care for Matthew, and _they'll _be too busy to notice me! Pity Edith gets to be happy, but I suppose it could be considered a good deed._


	6. Chapter 6: A Sisterly Spat

**AN: **I know it's terribly short, but you deserved an update, so here's a tidbit! I'm feeling a bit better now, so hopefully they'll be two a week or so.

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><p>Two weeks later, the house was in uproar preparing for the Duke of Crowborough's visit. Mary seemed to be the only person totally unaffected by all the excitement, and took to locking herself in her room with a massive book of Greek myths. The only visitor <em>she<em> cared about wouldn't be visiting for another month, and she didn't have an excuse to write to him for another few days in any case. Edith and Sybil, however, couldn't understand why their sister would be so indifferent to a visit from one of her favorite old suitors and nagged her at every opportunity. Sybil was convinced Mary had another suitor on the side (perhaps the mysterious E.N.?) and Edith preened, thinking Mary had finally ceded her status as the attractive sister to herself and was locked in her room in mourning. She took every opportunity to smirk at Mary's back and to toss a few jabs in her direction, but Mary was so unresponsive Edith quickly gave up to concentrate on prettying herself for the Duke's visit.

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><p>Finally the day arrived, and the sisters all congregated in Mary's room to add finishing touches on their outfits. Ribbons and last-minute hairpins were flung everywhere, but Mary quietly instructed Anna to only do the most minimal work on her hair. <em>It's pointless to try to attract the Duke, what if I ended up with a proposal? Best to work on Edith—heavens know she needs help! <em>"Edith dear," she interrupted Sybil's squealing over a new blue ribbon, "Why don't we have Anna give your hair a once-over first? After all, the Duke's here to see you, even if he doesn't know it yet." She purred sickly, loathing every word.

Edith glanced at Mary sharply, startled at being favored, but settled down smugly at the dressing table. "I must admit I'm rather surprised at you, Mary."

Mary loftily raised an eyebrow, perching primly on the end of her bed. "Oh?"

"Normally you'd be throwing yourself at every _eligible_ gentleman. Why are you letting me have this one without a fight?" Edith cast a disapproving look at Mary through the mirror.

Mary attempted to keep her sneer to a minimum. "I've grown up, Edith_. _Try it some time." She plucked a flower from Sybil and tucked it in Edith's hair, but intentionally jostled a pin to scratch her scalp.

Edith hissed slightly, but before she could say anything Sybil sighed happily. "Oh, Edith, that does look lovely there. That was very sweet of you Mary."

Edith dropped her scowl to smile at Sybil as Mary replied, "You're a darling. Now shall we go down and meet him?" She flounced out the door.


	7. Chapter 7: The Duke's Visit

After introductions, Mary managed to slyly pawn the Duke off on Edith and settled down in the corner of the drawing room as the pair wandered about upstairs.

"I do wonder what they're up to," Robert said into his newspaper. "I thought I told you to take care of the Duke." He cast a critical eye at Mary.

"Oh, Papa." Mary laughed nervously. "You can't control a Duke's whim, no matter how hard you try."

"I suppose not." He went back to his paper, and Mary breathed a sigh of relief.

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><p>At dinner that evening, Robert paused in his meal to speak, a bit sharply, to Edith. "What were you and the Duke doing together this afternoon?"<p>

Edith's look turned a bit sour. "We went exploring, although it was a bit… unnecessary." She went back to her plate.

"Unnecessary?" Mary raised an eyebrow.

"Wherever did you go?" Robert asked.

Edith glanced about apprehensively. "The Duke thought it would be… interesting to see the attics. It was not."

_She was obviously trying to charm him, but was interrupted and failed. Ha! _thought Mary.

"I expect Edith was just showing the duke the house, weren't you?" Sybil put in.

"You could say that." The Duke said calmly.

They went back to their plates, and soon the ladies went through.

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><p>Robert stormed into the drawing room. "Don't bother waiting for the Duke, he's already gone up."<p>

"Gone up? Why?" Cora asked.

"He only visited to see if the girl's prospects have changed with James and Patrick's deaths. They haven't and I told him so." He snarled. "It was quite rude of him to disappoint you, Edith."

Edith sank back into the sofa. "Ugh, I honestly don't care. Odious man! All he wanted to talk about were the servants; he paid me no attention at all!" she huffed.

Mary stifled a smirk as Violet gasped. "Really Edith, you shouldn't say such things."

"He quite deserves them, Mama." Robert said. "I think it's time for all of us to turn in."

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><p><strong>AN:<br>**Do you like these frequent, short chapters? They work quite well for me- I can keep it flowing and update often. Thank you for all your kind reviews! xo


	8. Chapter 8: The Letter

The next morning, Mary got up early to have her father to herself at breakfast. She planned on broaching the subject of inviting Matthew to stay today, now that the Duke had finally made his departure.

"Good morning, Papa." She said as tenderly as she could manage as she sailed into the dining room. "How are you today?"

Robert harrumphed. "As well as I can be, seeing as we were so slighted yesterday."

"Ah, yes. Did you see the Duke off this morning, then?" Mary casually took a sip of her tea.

"Yes. Your mother has already gone back to bed." Robert said, shaking out his newspaper.

Mary hummed noncommittally. "I think it's time we finally wrote to this Mr. Crawley- Matthew, did you say?- and get this inheritance issue sorted out. Don't you agree?"

"I've told you, Mary! There's nothing _to _sort out! He will inherit and that's final." Robert sounded exasperated. _Mama must be pressuring him again. If only she had pressured him for me when Patrick was alive... _Mary shook herself.

_That's in the past. And now... this may be harder than I thought. _"Yes, Papa darling, I know that. But if the estate is to stay in the family, _I'm _going to marry this… Matthew," her lips twitched up slightly at his name but she forced them into a slight scowl before Robert noticed, "and it would be appropriate for me to meet him first." _There. A bit of talk about "duty" and he'll be all for it._

"Yes, yes of course." Robert set down the paper. "Shall you write to him or shall I?"

"I could write to him," Mary attempted to sound blasé about the whole thing. "It's a bit more personal that way."

"Very well. Invite him to stay for an unspecified amount of time. See if he's available to come in, say- ten days? He's only a lawyer; there should be no problem with the short notice. He can stay in Crawley House."

Mary gritted her teeth. _Only a lawyer? He's a wonderful man. And such short notice. _Her breath caught. _Ten days and I shall see you again. And I thought I never would. Oh, my darling. _She blinked away tears. "I'll go do that right now, Papa. Enjoy your breakfast."

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><p>Mary settled down to her desk, drumming her fingers on the surface. What could she say? How should she start? She sighed, and set the pen to paper.<p>

_Dearest Matthew,_

_You may wonder how I'm finally able to write to you. An unexpected event has occurred, my darling. James and Patrick are dead, and Papa had to search for a new heir… He lied to me, Matthew. To us. Darling, _**you** _are the heir of Downton. The family is now willing to take you in with open arms. Take _us_ in. Yes, now that the old suitor is dead I am to be pawned off accordingly- but to you, darling, and thus I don't care one jot. We cannot reveal our past, I'm afraid, and thus I've had to construct an artificial timeline for our relationship- the details of which I'll confide in private. It's for the same reason I haven't written to you before now- we can't afford any suspicion, any at all. But now Papa has given me express permission to invite you to stay at Crawley House for an "unspecified amount of time." Isn't that ironic? Now I have _permission_ to seduce you. Ha! That is, if you still want me… now that you are a gentleman and an heir. Darling, if you can, come in ten days. Don't bring Isobel; tell her you want to settle in first or something. I need to be alone with you for a while. Matthew… I cannot describe my feelings. Only that I love you and these past months without you have been tortuous and now an angel has come at last. Please take it, Matthew. Please, for us._

_Love,_

_Mary_

Mary sighed and sealed the letter tightly. It wouldn't do for anyone else to read the contents. She carried it down to the library, where she knew her father would be waiting.

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><p>"I've finished it, Papa. I was as civil as can be expected." <em>Especially considering how close I was to simply drawing hearts all across the page. <em>"What's Mr. Crawley's address?"

Robert turned abound from his own correspondence. "You have? Good, good. I have it around in here…" He rooted about in a drawer for a moment, then handed her a slip of paper. "Have Anna put it in the afternoon post."

"But of course." Mary hurried out of the room, ecstatic her plan was finally put into motion.

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><p>A few days later, a certain Matthew Crawley of London paled as he saw the handwriting on an envelope given to him at breakfast. Snatching a knife from the table before him, he tore open the letter and read it, his eyes widening with every word. His mother, noticing his uncharacteristic silence, looked up from her meal to see her son a deathly white, a letter clutched before his eyes and a knife drilling into the table, a small tear filling his eye.<p>

"Matthew, what's wrong?" she asked urgently.

Matthew raised his gaze towards hers, eyes filled with a hope they had been missing for months. "Mother, I've… I'm Lord Grantham's heir."

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>So there you have it! Matthew will arrive shortly, and our lovers shall be united once more. :) A bit longer, because it's the weekend and I adore your lovely reviews. Do you want me to respond individually or is that weird? Oh, well, I love you all! I just put a poll up on my profile about story updates, so please check that out! xoxo


	9. Chapter 9: Matthew Arrives

**AN: **So now the appearance you've all been waiting for- Matthew Crawley has arrived! And he is... well, you'll find out! ;)

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><p>Matthew shrugged on a dress jacket and walked out of his room, a suitcase clutched in a shaking hand. Isobel was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled nervously at her, grateful that she had gotten up early to see him go. "How do I look, Mother?"<p>

Isobel patted his cheek. "Like the gentleman you are. Have a safe trip. Are you quite certain you don't want me along?" her eyes searched his.

"No, Mama." He gently kissed her cheek. "I'll make sure the house is acceptable and then I'll telephone. You can come down next week once things are settled." He headed to the door.

"Take care."

"I will."

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><p>After an interminably long train ride, Matthew arrived at Crawley House. He scowled apprehensively up at its stone front as a man hurried out to take his bag.<p>

"Hello." Matthew did nothing to halt his glare, and clearly made the man uncomfortable with his gaze.

"I'm Molesley, sir, your butler and valet." He simpered, taking Matthew's bag.

"Of course you are." Matthew said dryly. "My mother will be coming next week, so I hope you have her room prepared in addition to mine."

"Yes, sir." Molesley nodded and led the way into the house.

"Take the bag to my room and bring me some tea please." Matthew said, stepping into the parlor.

"Right away, sir." Molesley rushed away to the kitchen.

Matthew sighed, collapsing into a chair. He dragged a hand across his forehead. _I'm finally a part of her world- and I hate it already. I am suddenly turned into everything that stole her from me and I cannot keep the loathing out of any of my actions. What ever happened to all the kindness I spoke to Mary about? _He groaned. _And what does she expect of me?_

A knock sounded at the front door. _Molesley_ _can get it. He is the butler after all. _Matthew grouched. _I'm so close to being with her, really being with her, closer than I've ever been before, and all these protocols and servants and formalities are our new adversaries._ His hands shook anxiously. _Lord, I'm going to see her again. And not out of the corner of my eye on a busy London street, as she walks by on another man's arm. She's going to be _here, _and with me. _His face broke into a childish grin just as Molesley rushed back into the room.

"Pardon me sir, but…" Molesley was interrupted by a figure tearing through the door after him. Eyes wide, skirt fluttering, and hat nearly falling off her head- was _Mary_.


	10. Chapter 10: Reunited

**AN: **Consider yourselves lucky- here comes a second update for the day! I never though I could do it! Annnd it's pretty long! (for me, at least!)

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><p>Earlier that morning, Mary had Anna help her into her prettiest day dress before rushing down to breakfast. To her dismay, she was forced to sit next to Edith, as both she and Sybil were up already along with Robert. <em>Perhaps I shouldn't have had Anna take the time to do my hair so elegantly… <em>Coughing lightly, she turned to her father.

"Papa, isn't Cousin Matthew supposed to be arriving today?" she asked, nibbling on some toast.

"Already?" Edith was bored at the prospect of a suitor focused solely on Mary.

"How thrilling!" Sybil exclaimed, masking Edith's droning.

Robert was engrossed in his newspaper and didn't lift up his eyes to say, "Oh, he's already here."

Mary choked on her toast. "What!"

"Yes, I just got a telephone from the train station. I told him to settle down in Crawley House and we'd have him over for dinner. His mother didn't come." Robert said.

"Why, you ought to have said." Mary attempted a laugh. "It's not proper to leave our guest waiting. I'll just go down and welcome him, and invite him over _officially._" She cast a significant look at her father.

"I'm afraid I didn't think of that." He frowned. "You'd better hurry on over right now."

Mary took the opportunity to head towards the door, but Sybil called after her, giving her pause.

"Do tell us if he's handsome!" she giggled, eyes sparkling.

Edith groaned, rolling her eyes, as Mary thought- _oh, he most certainly is. _But she simply said, "Of course, darling. We can hope so." She caught her father's quietly pitying gaze then, and she turned quickly to go. _Would you pity me enough to save me from marrying him, if I didn't like him?_ Her lip curled, and she ran towards the stables.

* * *

><p>Mary dismounted before Crawley House and tied her horse up with shaking hands. <em>Matthew is there, just inside. What shall I say? What will he <em>do? Taking a deep breath, she strode towards the house.

Molesley opened the door, clearly startled to see her. He nearly lost his grip on the tea tray he was clutching. "Lady Mary!"

"Go get another cup; I'm taking tea with Mr. Crawley." She said steadily, catching her breath. _He's right there, though that door… _

"Of course, my lady." Molesley dashed quickly to the kitchen, and Mary surveyed her windswept appearance in the hall mirror, desperately attempting to fix her hair.

Molesley came back seconds later with the extra cup. "I'll tell Mr. Crawley that you've arrived before I return to fetch you, my lady. He wasn't expecting a visitor."

"Thank you." Mary took a deep breath and bit her lip, watching Molesley walk to the parlor and open its door- and there she saw him, the side of his face, eyebrows raised, startled at Molesley's appearance- and Mary could not stop herself any longer. She sped towards him, bursting through the door in the middle of poor Molesley's sentence, his words turning to pesky buzzing in her ears.

Her eyes met Matthew's and her heart stopped- the whole _world_ stopped. There was only him. Nothing filled her mind but memories of the simple _sensation _of Matthew. She heard her voice say vaguely "Thank you, Molesley. That will be all.", but her eyes never left Matthew's face. Molesley set the tray on a side table and backed out, shutting the door with a click.

As soon as it closed, they fell automatically into each other's arms, all previous fears forgotten. Mary's fingers danced across Matthews back as his hands tangled in her hair, tipping her hat off her head, letting it thud on the floor. Mary pulled her lips from his to nuzzle into his neck, breathing in the scent she had so sorely missed. _He's here. I'm here. We're together. Together. _Her thoughts chased around in elated circles, and she pulled back to give him a long, lingering kiss. A drop of water landed on her cheek before she could deepen it, and she looked up to see Matthew's tearful face.

"My darling, I thought I would never see you again." His voice shook, and his cheeks stretched into a beaming smile. She reached up, cupping his face in her still-gloved hands.

"Nothing shall ever come between us again, no matter what happens next. Not after what we're already been though." She breathed, trembling. "I refuse to be without you."

And, tears mingling, they kissed again; hope mounting in their shared heart.


End file.
